14 DAY TRIAL // It's not just whales, dolphins, turtles and other perfectly adorable creatures that are often injured by fishing gear and other debris floating about in our planet's seas and oceans.
They might be top predators and well able to look after themselves, but sharks too are sometimes harmed by all the junk we put in their natural habitat.
Case in point
Earlier this month, beachgoers in Italy noticed a shark swimming in the waters off the coast of Porto Pollo, Sardinia. The animal was agitated and clearly in distress. Some say it kept trashing around not far from the shoreline.
Soon enough, it became obvious that the animal had a fishing hook stuck in its mouth. Rather than abandon it, the beachgoers decided to rescue it.
A dozen or so of daredevils entered the water and guided the shark close to shore. Then, they grabbed it by its tail fin and dragged it on the sand.
While a group of men sat on it to make sure it would not struggle and harm itself even further, others opened its mouth and removed the fishing hook.
The incident was witnessed by one Saveria Porcari, who filmed the entire rescue mission and shared the footage in YouTube this past Sunday. The video, available below, has since gone viral.
All's well that ends well
Having removed the fishing hook from its mouth, the shark's rescuers dragged the shark back into the water. Since the animal didn't look like it was in need of expert medical care, they simply set it free, guiding it towards deeper water.
No doubt a bit taken aback by the entire affair, the shark stayed close to the beach for a few more minutes. Once the confusion started to wear off, it turned its back on its rescuers and swam away, probably never to be seen again.
Judging by its looks, a witness says the animal was most likely a blue shark. The species populates the deep waters of temperate and tropical oceans, and feeds on small fish and squid.
